What are your favorite At-Home exercises?

I am just starting out (again) on trying to lose weight and be more fit. I am 18, 160 pounds, and would like to get down to 130 by the end of the summer. I play college field hockey and desperately need to be in very good shape by August to survive pre-season.

I cannot really afford a gym membership, so I am going to be doing a lot of workouts at home this summer. What are your favorite exercises and programs to do at home that don't cost a lot of money? I am planning on buying a yoga mat and some dumbbells, but do you think there is other equipment I definitely should buy? I am also unsure of what weight dumbbells to start out with. I want something that will be challenging but light enough that I won't hurt myself.

My favorite exercise is going for a brisk walk around my neighborhood, listening to my favorite music on my iPod.

As for what weight to start out with, I wouldn't go less than 5 lbs. Try a few dumbbells out at the store...perhaps do a biceps curl or something simple. If 10 or 12 reps with 5 lbs doesn't feel that difficult, then go a bit heavier. If you're starting to really feel it by 10/12 reps, then 5 lbs is likely right. If you find you need less than 5 lbs (you're struggling to do more than 4 or 5 reps), then I'd still buy the 5 lb dumbbell. But I'd use some bottles of water (to serve as weights) at first and work my way up to the 5 lb dumbbells. A 1 litre bottle of water weighs about 2 lbs.

Mowing the lawn beats any workout I have ever done, including going to the gym.

You mow it. You lose. It's that simple.

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Bodyweight exercises are the cheapest way to "lift weight". Your body weight can be used as a tool to help specifically target muscles to aid in weight loss. And things like burpees are great cardio bodyweight exercise that can still help build muscle (aka, don't skip the pushup of your burpee).

Check out Convict Conditioning, it uses progression based bodyweight exercises to help you get stronger. It's a great way to find a starting point for your skill level for bodyweight work. Plus you get to see your body progress as you move up to the advanced movements.

I recently bought a bicycle and DH and I go for a bike ride 5 nights a week. the other 2 we do go to a gym, but it's getting harder to want to go there because the outside exercise is so much more entertaining! We now just go to the gym for lifting.

You can also install a pull-up bar in your doorway, by a step to do step aerobics, DVD programs...and for weights it depends on how strong you are right now. For me, I would buy 20, 25, and 30 pounders...but I've been lifting for 10 years plus. If you are brand new you should get maybe some 5's and 10's...good luck!

I'm currently in love with one legged kettlebell deadlifts. As for what weight to buy, go to the store and try out the dumbells. See what feels right to you but is still difficult. Or, perhaps you'd like something that is adjustable. I would check places like craigslist before actually purchasing because you may be able to find something cheaper than the cost of new from the store.

My favorite is Just Dance for the Wii. I have the first 3 in that series plus Wii Zumba, Wii Fit and a few other titles to choose from...I also do Walk Away the Pounds, Yoga (Dvd or youtube), mini bike peddler, rebounder (mini trampoline) core ball exercises, and walk/dance to TV or music. I live very in a very rural area...gyms are too far, too much gas, too much wasted time traveling.

Jillian Michael's Kickboxing or her Ripped in 30 or 30 Day Shred. All of those can be done at home and provide great results! Also there is a channel on youtube, something like befit I think, and they have a good amount of different exercise videos!

If I could only have one thing to use at home it would be my execise ball and book of workouts to do on it. Years ago I had a personal trainer who was going to school to be a therapist and he had me workout doing all kinds of things using th exercise ball. It is fun and combned with your body weight very challenging. When I saw a lady balancing herself on one I knew you were unlimited on the challenges it could provide. Go to a book store, leaf through some books showing you how to use the exercise or swiss ball and have fun It is a cheap investment and if you are having fun you will keep it up.

You may aso consider investing in some tubes instead of dumbells. They can provide you with the resistence you are after without breaking the bank. But really body weight exercises are way under rated. Just getting so you can do a full pullup or a pushup from your toes will keep you challenged all summer.

Using adjustable dumbbells, I think you can get deals on them on amazon quite regularly. I did one week at 3.5kg for everything to see how many reps I could do, and wrote it all down. If I can do 3x12, I can add plates, if I can't do 3x6, I can take plates off. Good for progression! On compound movements I'm needing more weight, on isolation moves I need less. I'd hate to be stuck with fixed weight dumbbells now!

And for cardio, I just take the iPod for a walk. 30DS was great but I couldn't really get into it. I'm more a weights girl I want to get the You Are Your Own Gym book, it's all bodyweight exercises. It's about £8 on Amazon.

There are loads of relatively inexpensive options, but a set of adjustable dumbbells is definitely a sound investment. Oh, and check out bodyrock.tv - I've looked at it and it has some great workouts, but I can never get into videos. I've heard very good reports about it though!

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Current mini-goal:
1. Take the iPod for a walk and ponder the nature of the universe.
2. Repeat.

I did the Body By You program for about four weeks and am now three weeks into You Are Your Own Gym (both by Mark Lauren). I highly recommend it! It's an intense workout and all I had to buy was a pressure-mounted pull-up bar (about $20 on Amazon). If you are strapped for cash, you can buy the app (with the video pack) for $2.99 and figure out the exercise routine with a little research on Mark's site.

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35 lbs. lost from 1/04/10 to 5/29/10
Size 14 to Size 8, 41-35-44 to 38-28-38

I did the Body By You program for about four weeks and am now three weeks into You Are Your Own Gym (both by Mark Lauren). I highly recommend it! It's an intense workout and all I had to buy was a pressure-mounted pull-up bar (about $20 on Amazon). If you are strapped for cash, you can buy the app (with the video pack) for $2.99 and figure out the exercise routine with a little research on Mark's site.

How would this be for someone with very bad knees? cannot do lunges and struggle with squats, etc? (UGHH)